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Well first off, there is a GREAT difference between a Minivan and a 5 series, especially when it comes down to the kids aspect.
Let me answer your question about the Sport package first. This consists of larger rim diameter (17" vs. the standard 16") and lower profile tires (less rubber between the wheel and the road). The purpose of this, is to give the car more 'sportier' handling and grip, especially in the turns. With that in mind, the package also has stiffer shocks, and springs that lower the car to the ground. The trade-off to this is a ride that is 'harsher' to your passengers. You will feel every road discrepancy in your driving. The taller profile tires and softer shocks of a 'non-sport' package car will be much more forgiving and absorb the bumps and jolts more. Two other aspects of the sport package are a 3 spoke 'sport' steering wheel (vs. the regular 4 spoke) and the exterior trim is 'blacked out' instead of chrome.
The premium package really has no bearing on the sport package. It is basically a way of ordering all the 'non-standard' options together. Leather seats, wood trim on dash and doors, dual zone climate, on-board computer etc. It's pretty much a 'must' when ordering a 5 series.
Now, as far as the kids in the rear aspect, you didn't mention the age of the kids, but let me give you my experience with 2,5,7,& 12 years olds that have been back there. MISERABLE!! For me, and them. First off, the cupholders, they are located at the back of the center console, on the floor by the driveshaft hump. As soon as a foot comes near them (mine, from getting in and out and the kids), they pop out and break. Heck, the ones in the front break, and that's without doing anything. Many trips to the dealer to fix them. Next, the seats back there sit low, and the 5 and 7 year olds complain that they can't see out the windows, period. Is it secure back there for car seats, VERY, but the rear of the 5 series is still somewhat cramped compared to other cars in it's class. On a day to day basis, bending in and out in the rear is more tedious than a vehicle that is more open in the rear.
Don't get me wrong with this, the 5 series is a great car, and I can understand the desire for not wanting a minivan. There are other 'sportier' options to the minivan as well, Acura MDX, BMW X5 (or 5 series station wagon-more interior room). Also the Lexus RX300 (now a RX330) rides like a 'sporty' car, but has the features of a minivan. This is the reason it is Lexus' best selling vehicle.
I hope I have given you some insight into your questions. (Based upon actual expreience with 2000 BMW 5 series w/Sport/Premium)
I am particular curious because my friend's 3 day old MB E500 was stolen. If these european makes are more secure, it would make me curious as to how other makers didn't do the same since car theft is costing some of us a bundle to insure our cars (I am sure accidents/fraud is another major contributor).
But in the meantime, has anyone installed the X-Pel (Scotchcal) bumper kit on a car with the Cold Weather Package? I don't see any cutouts in the plastic for the headlight washers, and am wondering whether there should be some.
Thanks.
Dealer will lease to me at $45,410, 59% Residual, .0010 Money factor, 3 yrs 15K miles, 1st and last down and some doc fees totalling $1600.00 down = for a monthly payment of $687.00
Yes - the $45,410 is the real lease price, but I am not convinced the $687 is correct?
Any thoughts!!
I haven't tried to get car seats in either car. The E39 5 Series has a lap/shoulder belt with headrest in the middle center. The E46 3 Series did not have either initially, having just a rear middle lap belt, but the newer ones do have a center rear lap/shoulder belt.
I must prefer the Sport Pkg. It does NOT unduly compromise ride quality, but does improve handling. For me, SPORT PKG is an ABSOLUTE MUST!
If room is important, just take the family down to the dealer and see what all fits and how well. You should also test drive cars with and without the Sport Pkg.
Take thorough test drives!!!
If it is true - you guys out there putting $4500 down are taking a risk, right?
With 1st and last down - 3 yrs, 15K per year I am being quoted $687 per month on a car with a MSRP of $49,270, and a leasing/selling price of $45,410!
I have no idea if this is good or bad - but the dealer is willing to share any all info he has on the lease docs, etc..........
Hope this helps...JL
When we bought the 530, it was for my commute, but it needed to be able to accomodate 3 car seats (to serve as a backup, and in case we both need to ferry the babies down the road). Our PegPerego carseats fit, though very snugly, in the back. The slight rise in the middle actually makes this possible, as the middle seat rides slightly over the other two. I wouldn't recommend this as the only car to transport infants or toddlers, though I imagine it will be fine once the babies are in the booster stage or beyond. We'll buy the narrowest seats for the next stage. The car is awesome in every other way, and I won't comment otherwise.
Snaigel: The saga of your car theft gets more fascinating at every turn. You did make out well, and I wish you luck with the G35. If we didn't have triplets, I would seriously have considered the coupe. One of my best friends also has an MDX, and traded an E320 for a G35 coupe, and loves it.
Any help in this area would be appreciated.
Thanks
Hope this helps....JL
I've put over 20,000 miles on my 540i6. Probably 90 percent interstate or rural 2-lane county roads. I also live in a small city with only 3 stoplights. No problem with clutch.
I also spend some time in congested city traffic (e.g., Omaha and Des Moines). She isn't too bad. But she is "heavier" than in a 4-cyl Honda/Nissan/Toyota.
You really should test drive it in the type traffic and at the time of day you normally drive. Many automotive reviewers (e.g., see the old Edmunds Comparison test, C&D, etc.) commented that it took a while before you got the engagement right. Till then, some drivers were "lurchy", esp. in 1st/2nd gears.
Interesting that X-Pel's installation video shows a bumper-top piece being installed on an M3. I checked the website, and sure enough, that piece is optional on the M3 kit, but not available on the 530i kit.
Maybe X-Pel figures 530i drivers don't do whatever it is that M3 drivers do to damage the top of their bumpers?
My 'opinion' comes from 3 years of all season driving with a 5 series. In the rain, I never experienced a problem. The computer (DSC) always kicked in when it had to and prevented any slipping. I always had great confidence when driving in the rain with the car.
Snow driving was a different story. Having a 'Sport' setup, in winter meant switching to 16" wheels with Blizzak winter tires. For 2 years the snow level was mild, and the car handled it very well. The only problem times the RWD had was with ice, and it lost that battle.
This past winter was a totally different story. The snow levels were much higher, and the RWD with the snow tires were no match at times. I got stuck once in a parking lot after it had snowed 6.5" of wet snow during the day. It took me over 2 hours to get out with another person helping me shovel & push.
What you need to evaluate also, is where you live/drive. How often does it snow there, and how much snow does each storm average.
As far as the 325ix, I had the opportunity to spend some time with one as a loaner car. In daily driving (no snow) the car felt 'underpowered' due to the AWD setup. If I were to go the ix route, I would definitely opt for the larger engined 330ix.
There are cupholder at the rear passenger? Where? I better look again.....
As a new 530i owner, I learned something new. The automatic headlights only work when the foglights are in the off position. I wonder what is the logic behind that....
I live in the Detroit area and we get snow over the winter months. It varies from year to year, but this past year we really got dumped on even into April. I have to say, that my car was very poised and predictable in even 6-10" of snow. I have to note that I have the non-sport package and 15" all season tires. If I had winter tires I would have been able to track through the snow with the confidence of a snowmobile, but even with all seasons I did quite well. Much better than my FWD Honda I replaced. And the Traction is great in all but completely no traction from a standstill. I just turned if off for a second to get moving an then kicked it back on.
Find another dealer. This one is lying to you.
MSRP $49,270.00
Negotiated Price $45,410.00
Down Payment $-
Residual % 0.59
Money Factor 0.001000
Term (mos) 36
Deduced Factors
Capitalized Cost $45,410.00
Residual value $29,069.30
Depreciation $16,340.70
Monthly totals:
Depreciation $453.91
Interest $74.48
tax $43.59
Monthly total $571.98
And that is based on CA tax of 8.25%.
If you want, I'll e-mail you a lease calculator.
HiC
If you can - send me yours! (E-mail in my profile)
They quoted me a hell of a price to buy the car - at $500.00 over invoice, and I may go that route.
Their lease quotes are 15K 3yr at $687, and 25k 3yr $807!
Lease vs. Buy - what a headache!!
Curious as to what the dealer's lease worksheet looks like. I found another dealer when the first one I was working with tried to double dip the aquisition fees: He was not only collecting up front but also trying to finance them into the lease! I was only able to discover why our numbers were not matching when I demanded to see his worksheet.
BTW: load a lease calculator into a laptop and take it to the dealer with you. If you don't have one, print out your worksheets & the formulas and take a small calculator with you. That ought to cut through the confusion.
HiC
What do you want out of your tires? Long life? Cushy ride? Great handling? Low noise? How important is wet (rain) vs dry performance? What tradeoffs will you accept? Some noise to get great grip?
I have a '98 540i6. I just replaced my former Yokohama AVS Decibels with SportContact 2s. I wanted a maximum performance summer (3-season) tyre. So far, in first 750 miles, I love the grip, ride, noise, and wet (rain) performance. They live up to their advertised billing. Won't know about wear and noise for a long time, though.
I recently put sets of ContiTouringContacts on my wife's '00 323ia and my work car (a Hyundai Sonata). Like them as an all-around all-season tyre.
Do some research. Continental and other tyre makers have nice web sites. European Car had three great articles last year on maximum performance tyres, high performance tyres, and winter tyres. Consumer Reports had a nice test comparison article on winter and all-season tyres late last year.
Also, I was wondering what the "I" stands for in 540I or 530I, etc. I've been told it stands for injection as in fuel injection, but I'm not sure that's correct.
Thanks,
-Paul
HiC
But unlike where 1/3/4/5/6/7/8 indicate platform, the other numbers (usually) indicate cubic liter engine displacement, "x"=AWD, "X"=SUV or SAV, "t"=touring (station wagon), "M"=Motorsports Division (and have to have non-automatic transmission), "d"=diesel, and "Z"=roadster... "i" is like your appendix: there and no one is exactly sure, what, if anything, it means or does.
Too bad BMW is still sometimes odd. When the (inaccurate) 323i was in reality a "325i", which didn't happen until the (accurate) 328i become the (accurate) 330i. Then the marketers afraid the 328i wouldn't seem "worth it" when the "325i" was so much less expensive.
2. Auto headlights are not dependent on fog lights. My auto headlights come on regardless of the fog light switch position.
Hope this helps...JL
I read that some countries may have it or its a added feature to modify it to be a storage armrest and a rear cupholder. I guess its another way for BMW to make more money or just drive us nuts with these lack of amenities.
My car is like pen101, the foglights overrides the auto headlights. Another BMW mystery.....
1994-1995: 325i model: 189 HP@5900 RPMs - 181 ft-lbs@4200 RPMs
1998: 323 coupes/convertibles 168 HP@5500 - 181@3950
1999-2000: 323: 170 HP@5500 - 181@3500
2001-: 325: 184@6000 - 175@3500
I have quoted the factory numbers for horsepower/torque peaks for 2.5 liter engine since the mid - 1990's. I have pointed out in the past that the "peak" numbers are not the only speed at which horsepower or torque is produced. An engine produces both horsepower and torque at all engine speeds, not just at the peak speed. In general the peak horsepower is at a higher speed than the peak torque. This is because the horsepower depends on the torque and speed. If torque were constant at all engine speeds, then horsepower would "peak" at the red line. However, torque generally drops off quickly once the engine exceeds some speed beyond which "breathing" efficiency drops off.
We can calculate the torque at the peak horsepower and we find that the 170 hp engine had 162 ft-lbs of torque @5500 and not more than 148 ft-lbs @6000. The 184 hp engine has 161 ft-lbs @6000. So we know that the new 2.5 liter has more torque @6000 RPM's than the old engine. We don't know what the new engine is like at lower engine speeds, but I suspect that it has more torque at 2000 RPMs than the old engine.
To jay44. go with the metallic black, they're charging you for metallic paint whether you get it or not.
Re: lousy weather, I have found this 5 and my previous '91 525 to be quite respectable, but NOT up to a good front-driver, IMO. Here in the Midwest, lots of people buy AWD for those 10 days each year that it really helps, I'll take my chances with rear drive on those days for the handling balance (and lack of torque steer) for the other 355.
I've got the OEM Conti's (SC1's? SC2's? will have to check), good for all weather, a plus since no need to swap around. I'll put in my plug for BMW's WITHOUT the sport package, aside from dollars saved (of which you'll probably see $.10 at trade time; I bought, didn't lease), I think stock suspension is plenty responsive. Perhaps more importantly, I think that those nice-looking 17" sport wheels just don't offer enough sidewall height to give adequate ride cushioning. Just my O. (Oh, and I've got the >heated< steering wheel, not available with spt.pack.)
BURNING SECURITY QUESTION: did not see answer to this, but just how does that little wallet key work if the system is constantly changing codes?! Does somebody merely need copy of this key (seems like a glaring hole in security, heh?)
But you likely don't have the summer (3 season) ContiSportContact or ContiSportContact 2. These are most definately NOT all-season tyres. Continental has a dedicated winter tyre. The SC2s only came out in USA last year. They are the replacement for the original SportContacts. SportContact & SC2 are Continental's maximum performance tyre. Continental also makes an ExtremeContact that is their highest performing all-season tyre. (Anyone here running a set of ExtremeContact?)
I recently put a set of SC2s on my '98 540i6. So far I'm quite pleased. Great handling. Awesome wet performance.
5ers progress, you'll enjoy this car , it is a
great car ! Is it an '03, if it is, what was your
motive in buying the E39 instead of the E60?
Again, welcome to the Ultimate driving experience.
Also, with relatively low interest rates, now seemed a good time to buy the car.